As the days march on towards the end of the year, the days get shorter and shorter. Many ancient peoples increased their sacrifices and rituals, fearing the sun might one year just disappear completely from them. Though this may seem ludicrous to modern man, it seems to instinctively manifest a desire for some kind of new light, one that would dispel man's inner darkness. For us Christians, this New Light has indeed entered our world in Jesus Christ. How appropriate that we celebrate the entrance into the world of this New Light at the end of December. We can almost hear Christ saying to us: "I am the only True Light that can fill all of man's hopes and desires, that can dispel all his darkness."
Our Lord comes into the world in a special way by becoming man. The Second Person of the Trinity assumes a human nature. This great mystery is called the Incarnation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church [ Numbers 456-460] points out four main reasons why the Son of God became man. First of all, to reconcile us to the Father by saving us from our sins. " He was revealed to take away sins" (1 Jn. 3:5). Secondly, so that we might know God's love. "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only son into the world." (1 Jn. 4:9). Thirdly, to be our model of holiness. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me" (Mt. 11:29). Fourthly, He became man in order to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). St. Irenaeus of the second century points out- "For this is why the Word became man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word… might become a son of God"( Against Heresies , by St. Irenaeus).
As we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate God's love and redemtion. We should also let the Divine Infant be born onto our hearts, so that there there He might work His wonder and transform us into the divine image, into human beings who show forth the Life and Love of God in their hearts and through their lives.
